The Freedom of a Bird
by Nova LEW
Summary: Draco Malfoy has never been truly happy. That is, until he admitted that he loves Hermione Granger. But when his father finds out, and comes after them with fury, will Draco be able to save her? DMHG, rated M for language and possibly more.
1. Confidence

1_AN: I plan to start my story without having an explanation of why I'm writing it. Hopefully, I can let this first chapter speak for itself. If you'd like a further introduction, I will probably provide one in the next chapter. But, for now, I hope you like what you read!!_

_One thing you should know is that I try to update regularly (at least three times a week!) When I do commit to writing a story. However, I am a VERY busy lady, with not very much free time on my hands. I hope to write as often as you hope to read!!_

_Let my story begin, without an introduction, because hopefully it won't need it._

**Chapter 1: Confidence**

The view from my window has always been the same.

Every morning since I can remember, I've woken up to the same window. I must say that, unchanging as it may be, the view is always breathtaking. I wake up to fields of grass the brightest hue of green, with hills that seem to roll directly into a forest. The trees that line the forest's edge seem to stretch to the sky, reaching for an eternity that I can only imagine, and imagine it I do. No matter what the season, these trees and fields always seem so full of _life_. Birds are forever flocking from the trees, off to live their lives of freedom. They look so peaceful and contented as they fly, and I can only imagine being as at peace.

Every morning since I can remember, I've woken up to an unimaginable beauty. I've woken up to freedom and the promise that, somewhere, eternity awaits. I've seen peace and contentment. And every morning since I can remember, I've wondered why I don't have that contentment, that peace, or that promise.

My family has more money than God. You would think that, given our riches, I would find contentment. That, just maybe, I could buy it. With all of our fortune, I should be able to buy the things that could force me to relax, and thus, to find peace. But I can't. Or won't.

The eternity that awaits me isn't that same as the eternity that awaits the trees. I will never have the peace that the birds are born with. And I am doomed to a life without feeling content.

Can you call this a life? I am not so full of life as the trees are. I am not so contented or peaceful as the birds. I am contemplative, over-thinking each little thing, always trying to improve what should be prefect.

Despite all the money I have control of, I'm trying to improve my seemingly perfect life.

"Draco, darling, if you don't get your lazy ass out of bed soon, I will march in there and drag you to King's Cross in your darling little pajamas."

Terrific. My _darling_ mother calls. She calls me to the first day of seventh year, or what she calls the first day of the rest of my life.

I roll over and go back to sleep. What's the use of getting up if I will never have the peaceful and contented life that I so desire? However, I soon feel something dainty grabbing at my foot, pulling with all of it's pathetic might. My mother is trying to keep good on her promise to drag me out of bed, but she isn't strong enough. A woman that frail could never _drag_ a muscular guy like me. For Merlin's sake, I weigh more than two of her!

"Mother, you embarrass yourself."

"Than save me the embarrassment and get out of bed. There's breakfast waiting downstairs, not that you've much time to eat it, mind you."

"Please, mother, I've all the time in the world. The train will never leave without a Prefect, and a Malfoy, no less. Not even the stupidest driver would try to piss off our family like _ that_."

"Such vulgarities. Draco, I've no clue where you learned these. No doubt from your father."

"Right," I scoffed, "Certainly not from the woman who told me to _get my lazy ass out of bed._"

She smirked at my comment, and of course I decided to match her smirk for smirk.

"Not that I don't enjoy the mother-son banter, darling, but if you don't get to the station soon, you'll miss the first day of the rest of your life. Your seventh year is -"

"- the most important year, mother, _I know!_" I impatiently interrupted. "You've only told me this -"

" - everyday for the past summer." She mockingly mimicked. "How often we have had this conversation. And yet, for all the times we've spoken of today's importance, you still don't seem all that eager to start it." She gave me puppy dog eyes, playing on one of my weaknesses. I absolutely _loathe _to disappoint my mother.

"Yes, yes, I'm getting up! Merlin, woman -"

"Don't you dare call me woman!" She cut me off crisply. "I'll meet you downstairs in fifteen minutes, no later."

"Can't wait." I sarcastically replied.

I got out of bed as soon as she left the room. I rummaged for some robes and found the trunk that the house elves had packed for me weeks earlier.

I was as close to being ready to start my life as an discontented, unpeaceful, fruitlessly reaching for eternity teenaged male can be. I used to be able to get past these thoughts that always plagued me when first I awoke. It seemed that I had changed over the summer. I was no longer able to bounce back from the negative thought that, just maybe, my perfect life isn't all its cracked up to be. Maybe, just maybe, this Malfoy was less than perfect. I wondered if I would appear as confident to the students on the train as I had for the last 6 years. Would my insecurities and wants make me transparent? Would I become weak and transparent simply because I wanted things like peace? I hoped that they wouldn't be able to sense the change in me. I prayed to Merlin that they wouldn't know that I was no longer conceited, and that they wouldn't know that I questioned my lifestyle. I wondered, I hoped, I prayed. Merlin, did I pray. I prayed that prayers were enough to make me feel as confident as I used to. I hoped that hopes were enough for me to hide the changes.

The confidence I always used to have seemed to have failed me. I sighed, and walked downstairs.

How I wished to be as free as the birds in the trees.


	2. Compartments

1_AN: To those of you who continued reading, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!_ _Please, feel free to continue..._

**Chapter 2: Compartments**

As much as I love my mother, she worries _far _too much. She was so worried about me being late to the station, and yet, due to her maniacal driving, we made it with minutes to spare. So why did she insist on rushing me so into the train?

"...and don't forget to write home _every _chance you get, and-"

"Mother." I cut her off. She always rambled like this when I had to leave. "I think I know by now what _exactly_ it is that you expect of me." I smirked. "And I think I'm old enough to know that you will have a nervous breakdown if you don't hear from me at least once a week."

"All right, smartass, just get on the train." It never ceased to amaze me just how fast she could drop the lovey-dovey mother act. I smiled, kissed her on the cheek, grabbed my trunk, and loaded my smartass into the train.

Naturally, my first move was to go to the compartment that Crabbe, Goyle and I had always shared. It was near the back of the train, but not so near that they wouldn't fall clear out of the back of the train due to their immense stupidity. Some days, I had to admit, I would want to throw them out. They are just so...unbearably dull. And yet since first year I sat with them, content in the tradition if not in the company. In the later years, after we had discovered girls and fellow Slytherins, this compartment came to be shared. After first year, Pansy became attached to me as though she were a third arm. I think she imagines herself my equal, as well as my future wife. I've not the heart to tell her that I find her as lacking as my friendship with Crabbe and Goyle. These two also had their shares of girls (they are not as repulsive as you might imagine two complete idiots to be), but their girls never quite clung to them as Pansy did to me. Also in our compartment was Blaise Zabini. Though I could never tell this to the other two for fear that they might commit suicide or something equally drastic out of despair, Blaise is my best friend. Not only is he my intellectual equal, but I can also laugh at jokes that me makes as opposed to laughing at his stupidity.

In other words, I can laugh _with_ him instead of _at_ him.

"Malfoy! About time you made it in here, you stupid son-of-a-"

"Watch your mouth, Zabini." I coolly interrupted. My best friend as he may be, he had quite the mouth on him. "That's my mother you're talking about."

"Well, what took you so long? We've been waiting here for quite a while, if you couldn't tell." I could tell. Crabbe and Goyle sat on one side of the compartment, and Blaise and Pansy sat on the other. Stacked up between them was what looked like an artfully piled stack of cards.

"What the hell is that thing?" I less than tactfully asked.

"It's a house of cards, dumbass! Pansy went over to America this summer and brought this lovely little waste of time back with her." Blaise rolled his eyes. Pansy looked up at me through her mascara laden lashes to confirm that this story was true.

"So how does this stupid thing work?" I sat down next to Pansy, for she was closest to the door.

"Well, Drake, you simply take two cards and lay them against each other, like this." She took two cards in her hands and, seeming to hold her breath, balanced each one against the other in order to get them to stand up together. The cards looked like a bunch of tiny little tents stacked up on each other. I couldn't, for the life of me, understand why this stupid American game was entertaining them so. Crabbe and Goyle seemed to be especially into it. Than again, I guess even they know how to pile up stupid little cards. Another reason why Blaise is my true friend - he shares my opinions of things, like stacking cards, that are ridiculously stupid. They weren't even magical cards!

"So why, exactly, did you hold your breath?"

"Well, if you breathe to hard, you'll knock them over. Guess I shouldn't sit next to you, Drake." Her voice became low, as though she were trying to seduce me. "You know what you do to my breathing."

Truthfully, I was almost grateful when the door opened. It saved me from awkwardly pretending that Pansy could ever manage to turn me on. The others, except for Blaise, were not so happy. The person opening the door was much less than graceful in doing so. He might as well have come barging in and knocked the cards over himself, because that was the effect that the sudden draft from the door caused. The stupid little card house, or whatever it was called, never stood a chance. Bad move on his part. Crabbe stood as rapidly as I had ever seen him move.

"You knocked over the house of cards!" Crabbe actually seemed angry at this. It was hard for me to imagine why, but I guess that it wasn't everyday that Crabbe found something that entertained him. After all, he does just have such a _complex _mind to entertain (Could my sarcasm be more evident?). However, I did feel bad for the poor fellow on the other side of the door. When Crabbe gets angry, its not a very pretty sight. He turns the color of an unhealthy tomato.

Or, at least, I felt bad until I saw who it was.

"Weasley?" Standing, I gaped at his tenacity. What in hell was he doing anywhere near _my_ compartment? "What in hell are you doing near _my _compartment?"

Well, I never was one to keep my words to myself when faced with an enemy. My friends are lucky that I have enough self control not to tongue-lash them, as well.

"Don't flatter yourself thinking that I'm here for a social call." I could see that his hands were closed tightly into fists. I smirked. Messing with Weasley when he was angry was oh so much fun.

"Well, I guess that the immense size of our house of cards did dwarf the size of your own residence. I don't blame you for knocking it over, really. Jealousy does rear its ugly head too much." It pleased me so when he flushed bright red. And yet, at the same time, something was nagging at me. As I was trying to figure out what it was that felt wrong about annoying Weasley as I had always done, I looked around at my friends. They were all laughing at what I had said. I looked back to Weasley. I had to ignore the nagging feeling in my head. This was just too much fun. "Merlin, Weasley, if you turned any redder, you would be more full of color than your, erm, _lovely _dress robes."

Delightful. He flushed an even brighter color.

"Shut your mouth, Malfoy."He muttered. Funny. He almost sounded dangerous. I could even hear his teeth gritting. Maybe gritting his teeth so much would cause him to break a few. What a shame...it would make him even less attractive than he already was. "You're. Needed. In. The. Prefect's. Compartment." Each word seemed to compose it's own sentence as Weasley fought to compose himself.

"Very well, then, Weasley. I shall grace you all with my company in due time." I smirked. Weasley left and I sat back down. But after I saw Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle picking up the cards to give the stupid house thing another go, I decided it would be best to leave.

"I suppose I'll go to the stupid Prefect's compartment now."I yawned, to fool them into believing that I was bored with being a Prefect. The harsh truth is that I'm just bored with them. They all nodded, except for Blaise. Blaise, who always understood me, just smirked at me. He knew that I could hardly stand the others' idiocy for long. I smirked right back.

I wandered up the aisles and made it to the Prefect compartment up at the front. Opening the door, I sat in the nearest possible seat. Unfortunately, only four Prefects were allowed to a compartment. I assumed that in the other compartment sat the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Prefects, for I was unluckily seated in the proximity of Ron Weasley and his beloved girlfriend, Hermione Granger. At least, I can only assume that they are together. Why else are they together all the time? They are so right for each other...they are both prideful and self-righteous.

"About time you could join us, Mr. Malfoy. Have you forgotten that it is your duty, as a Prefect, to sit with your fellow Prefects?" Professor McGonagall always seemed to have a stick up her ass about something. "And where is Mr. Zabini?"

"I would imagine that he is on his way." I coolly replied. I wondered if it was on my face just how much I hate this woman_.(AN: I forget who the other Slytherin Prefect is. I apologize if it isn't Blaise! For the sake of this story, it will be. Are there even seventh year Prefects?) _

Always one to be right on time, Blaise came wandering in. He, too, received the glare of death from McGonagall.

"Now that the Slytherin's have deemed it fit to grace us with their presence," she sent another glare to Blaise and I, "I guess I can get on with what I wanted to say.

"Now, I know something that the rest of you do not, and it pertains to the year to come. Professor Dumbledore seems to believe, and I am compelled to agree, that there is not enough...friendship between the different Houses. And so, to hopefully spur on new friendships between the Houses, Hogwarts will be holding a series of dances. They won't be anything too serious, and students aren't even required to dress up. They are meant more to be inter-House socials. However, the four of you, along with the other four Prefects, are each expected to take members of a different House." Thank Merlin. I have an excuse to not go with Pansy. A series of dances with _her_? Ugh. "It would be preferred if you would go with other Prefects, but such a thing is not required. You will all, however, help to pick decorations for, pick music for, and help set up each dance. One dance will be held each month.

"And, on to other matters, it is time for me to announce the Head Boy and Head Girl! Lucky for us and unlucky for the others, they are both in this compartment. Head Boy and Head Girl are decided due to grades, and so this year's Head Boy and Head Girl are Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger. However," Oh, Merlin. Why was she looking at me now? "Your Head duties can be, at anytime, revoked and reassigned if you decide to ignore such duties as sitting with the Prefects! Please, Mr. Malfoy, do not give up the honor of being Head Boy simply because you have a selective disdain for a few of your classmates. Even the little things can cause your honors to be taken away."

How I hate it when adults lecture me.


	3. Compliance

1_AN:__I suppose that I forgot to mention before that I am ignoring the fact that Dumbledore is no longer a part of the story. I can't let Dumbledore die! So, I'm using him in my story because I love that old man so much. Please, please, please disregard what happened in the 6th book while reading my story. I am pretending that Dumbledore never died, therefore Malfoy never ran off. That in mind, enjoy!_

**Chapter 3: Compliance**

What I hated even more than being lectured by a teacher was the patronizing look that only your peers can give. It's the look that a person your age can give you that lets you know that, if only for one minute, they thought they were better than you. It's the look that, in one second, makes you reevaluate everything you said and did in the last few minutes. It's the type of judging look that breaks you down and makes you suddenly unsure of yourself.

It was the type of look that I received from Hermione Granger.

One thing that confused me about Granger was that she never seemed to question anything. It sometimes seemed, from an outside view, that Potter and Weasley didn't think of Hermione as a friend. To an outside eye, it looked like they viewed Granger more as a giant encyclopedia, full of the answers to last night's homework. They didn't so much seem to think of her as a person as they thought of her as a reference.

If I cared more about her, I might even feel sorry for her. Sure, it sucked having friends who were intellectually lacking. Sure, it sucked that I had to dull my sense of humor down so that they could laugh at and understand my jokes. And sure, it sucked that I could never truly be myself around anyone but Blaise. But at least I had him. Who did she have? When Potter and Weasley used her as a text, did she have anyone else to turn to? Did she have anyone with whom she could share her thoughts? Did she have anyone who was a true friend, one who did not use and discard her? Could anyone read her emotions like an open book, as opposed to treating her like one?

But any lines of thought that might actually lead to pity dissipated when she gave me that patronizing glare. Why should I care who she has or doesn't have? I could give a shit if the only two people she was ever with threw her aside. Hell, the know it all deserved it, probably.

But, then again, who really deserves that?

"Granger, Malfoy, I will need to speak with you out in the hallway." Great. All this time, and McGonagall still had something else to go on about. She took us out into the hallway. She gave Hermione a rather kind glance, and then proceeded to look at me as though I were something stuck on the bottom of her shoe.

Bitch.

"As you know, Head Boy and Girl have a lot of duties to perform outside of the duties assigned to them as Prefects. While the Prefects will be required to set up these dances, it will be you two who are in charge of making sure that each dance goes off without a hitch. This will involve combing through the Great Hall beforehand to make sure that there are no pranks set in place, as well as socializing with students from every House to make sure that the dances are doing their job.

"Aside from the dances, the Heads do many other things together that will require a lot of patience with the other. Now, I know that you two have a past history of disliking each other. I hope that you two can set aside your differences, if only for a few hours a week, in order to do the things that you will have to do." She glanced nervously at each of us. "Please promise me that, whatever you two disagree about, you will put aside for the greater good of your school."

It was not so much a request as it was a demand. I looked over at Granger only to find her looking at me. In her eyes, I could read that she would put aside our differences if I would. I nodded. I would comply.

That was the first time that Hermione Granger and I spoke without words. It would not be the last.

As I stepped off of the train with Blaise, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle (plus our considerable baggage) in tow, I was greeted with the sight of the grandiose castle that is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I had seen this place every year since I was at least 11-years-old, and yet the sight never ceased to amaze me. The sheer size was not what captivated me, for my own estate was probably twice the size of Hogwarts. It was the fact that the stone castle seemed so _inviting_. A giant structure made completely of stone should be forbidding and frightening, to say the least. And yet, too me, it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. To me, cold stone has never looked so warm as it did when it composed Hogwarts. Suddenly, I couldn't believe that I hadn't even wanted to get out of bed.

"Geez, Malfoy, smile any wider and people might think that you actually _like_ school." Blaise jibed. I looked over at him, trying to glare or smirk or something, but all I could do was smile. He smiled right back. It was one of those rare moments (that thankfully aren't that rare for Blaise and I) when you and your friend are mutually enjoying the same thing, and don't have to share the enjoyment with anyone else. We were both happy to be back, even if school meant things like homework.

To us, Hogwarts was home. We'd take the bad with the good, if it meant being at home.

"Drake!!" Pansy squealed, taking down a notch the happiness that I felt at being home at last. She pointing to the lake. "Don't forget that you promised to go swimming with me tonight!" She came closer, whispering into my ear. "We can skinny dip, if you want."

I shuddered. Hopefully, she thought that the shudder was a positive response to her slutty actions. Really, it was just an involuntary response to a thought that did not appeal to me.

Thankfully enough, Blaise saved me from her.

"Come on, Malfoy. If you and Pansy don't get a move on, we won't get good seats to watch the teeny first years get sorted. I _know _that you want to see _that._" It was an outright lie. Not only did I detest to see the first years get sorted, but no one would _ever_ leave _me _with a bad seat. I was a Malfoy, for Merlin's sake. The Slytherin's hailed me as their god. They would be too fearful of my "wrath" if they were to leave me a bad spot. Not only that, but I had a specific place that I liked to sit, and nobody touched it. Nobody.

"Gee, Zabini. What would I ever do without your reminders?" I smirked. He matched my expression with a grin of his own. Together, we led the other three to the Great Hall, where we seated ourselves in the spots that we had always sat in. All around us, others poured in and seated themselves at their respective tables. Small talk soon began, and such things always bored me. I never cared about the things Pansy talked about, like who's wearing what and who changed what over the summer and who is supposedly dating who. I peered around the room, silently watching others. My gaze wandered over to the Gryffindor table where it settled on the Golden Trio.

As much as I doubted the dynamics of their relationship, they sure did seem to enjoy each others company. Maybe my assumptions about Potter and Weasley using Granger as a reference were completely wrong. They were laughing and seemed genuinely happy that they were together. I wished I had that. I mean, I had it with Blaise, but if I could have it with just one more person? That would be -

"Charming, isn't it?" Pansy purred. "The way that they laugh so carelessly, as though nothing were wrong? It's like they've forgotten that Potter is a head case, Weasley is poorer than dirt, and Granger is beyond unfortunate." I laughed. Truly and actually laughed. Dull as she may usually be, Pansy did have her moments. I suppose it was one of these moments that caused me to start dating her in the first place. My laughter seemed to spur her on. "But, hey, it looks as though somebody taught Granger how to take care of herself over the summer. Her hair looks almost normal. And she's coated that hideous face with a mask of make-up so horrid that it ought to be on a clown." I snorted. Pansy was one to talk about clown-like make-up. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

However, looking at Granger, it would seem that what Pansy said was true. Now that Pansy had mentioned it, I noticed that Granger's hair was no longer a tangled mess that looked as though it could host a litter of rats. Actually, it was combed through and tamed, falling in gentle, shining waves to her back. It looked quite nice, to be honest. Not that I would ever admit that aloud to anyone. And she _was_ wearing make-up, but not in the massive quantities that Pansy claimed. Granger almost looked like a human.

Suddenly, Dumbledore raised his glass.

"Without further a due, I bid you all, eat!"

This was the moment that I dreaded. Watching Crabbe and Goyle pile food into their mouths at a frightening pace made me lose my appetite. I place some mashed potatoes, chicken, and a roll on my plate, but I probably only ate about half of it. I felt like I might vomit it back up later when the images of Crabbe and Goyle gorging themselves came back to me.

Thankfully, the food soon vanished. In marched Professor McGonagall with the customary stool and Sorting Hat. I stopped paying attention when she set it down and called the first first year forward.

I heard afterwards that Slytherin received about 27 new students. This was a rather large number. Hopefully some of them played Quidditch.

"Before you all retire to your beds, I have a little announcement to make!" Dumbledore boomed. It baffled me how that man always seemed so pleasant and happy. "We have our new Head Boy and Head Girl picked out, and this year, they are Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger!" Even though this was not news to me, for McGonagall had told me on the train, I still beamed. I was proud of this accomplishment. I stood up, as did Granger, and we both smiled, waved, and sat back down.

I ignored the rest of Dumbledore's speech as I always did, but a bit of it caught me at the end.

"Will Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger please come see me before retiring to their respective chambers?"

I looked around. Everyone was going back to their dorms. I met Granger in the middle of the Great Hall, and walked forward with her to speak with Dumbledore.

"I just wanted to tell you two how _proud_ I am of you! However, I did hear there was some problem on the train where Mr. Malfoy chose not to sit with the other Prefects." Bother. What did it matter who I sat with? Dumbledore looked at me, that twinkle in his eye seeming to be a spot light. "Please don't disappoint me, Mr. Malfoy. I have such high hopes for the pair of you. I should be severely discouraged if I had to choose a new Head Boy." I rolled my eyes and sighed, but looked right back at Dumbledore.

"I promise to do my best not to let you down." And I meant it. Something about this year promised to be different. I thought that maybe I could be different with it.

Maybe if I changed, my life would change. And if my life changed, maybe I could finally be happy. But I couldn't change completely. I can't, for example, give up my friends, even though I despise a majority of them. They still complete me, and they have their moments where they please me. I will always be Draco Malfoy, bad ass Slytherin god.

But, maybe, there was some other part of me that could come forward. Maybe, just maybe, I could be a bad ass _and_ a good person. Maybe I could make everyone see what I now knew I had known all along. I could make them see me, the true me.

Maybe I had it in me to be brave, for once in my life.


	4. Curious

1_AN: Thanks for the few who reviewed!! Your feedback is much appreciated, and spurred me onward towards writing another chapter! Please, review if you enjoy and if you don't, **constructive**_ _criticism is good! But if you flame me, I'll flame you back. Do unto others..._

**Chapter 4: Curious**

I should have known it would be a curious day the minute that I woke up. See, every normal morning, I would wake up moderately late, but still earlier than anyone else in my dorm. I would have enough time to rouse everybody by dousing each of them with water for the first day of school. This was tradition. This was custom.

What was unexpected was to be doused, myself. I don't think I'll ever soak anyone in water as an alarm clock ever again. Its not a very pleasant experience. You see, I sleep on my back. This means that when the water was magically thrown upon me (we use wands, of course, as all wizards should), it made a little trip into my nasal cavity.

Have you ever woken up to find that you are, however slightly, drowning? It sucks. I'm sure that I sounded attractive as I coughed and sputtered my way into consciousness. So it's only fitting that the first word out of my mouth on the very first day of my very last year of school was -

"Fuck! You assholes, you could've drowned me!"

Blaise is smiling while Crabbe and Goyle try to back down. Blaise is the only one who can stand unaffected when I yell.

"We just thought you might want to chill off, Malfoy. You seemed to be getting rather worked up from your dream."

Now I remembered. I don't dream that often, but when I do, its big. I dreamed all night of dancing with the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She was wearing a pale yellow ball gown, and had mahogany hair that smelled so sweetly of apples falling in gentle curls to her waist. I wish I could remember her face, her name. She was quite the divine dancer, and it felt as though we were on a cloud. Do the Muggles call it Cloud 9? It had to be heaven. It had to be paradise. It had to be...contentment.

And apparently I talk in my sleep. I mark this quietly into my memory, so that I can find a cure. I don't necessarily want to share my dreams with anyone. They don't come by me very often. Shouldn't they be mine and mine alone?

"You're all a bunch of horny teenagers. I wasn't dreaming about what you seem to think I was."

"Could've fooled me." Blaise laughed, and directed my attention to Little Draco standing at attention. I felt myself flush, and if I weren't so pale, I could swear I'd be redder than Weasley's robes. I glared at Blaise.

"Good morning to you, too, sunshine." He smirks. Damn it all, I've taught him well over the years. "Might want to get that taken care of before double potions."

"Right, Zabini. I'll just give your mother a quick call, and maybe _she_ can _take care_ of it for me."

"Funny, Malfoy." I see the smile slide right off of his face. Score one for Draco. He slinks out of the room, followed by to idiotic looking buffoons guffawing.

The first day of seventh year, and my tricks are turned upon me. I prayed that the rest of the day wouldn't be like this.

I made my way as slowly as possible to double potions. Having started off the morning feeling greatly ashamed and rather happy to still be among the realm of the living, I wasn't so much in the mood for a good dose of learning. I'd much rather go back to sleep.

Snape might be my favorite teacher, but nothing compares to sleep.

Imagine my surprise when another curiosity occurs. In every potions class, Crabbe and Goyle sat with each other. This meant that they're potions came out to be disgusting smelling brews that would probably kill any normal person sitting within a 5 foot radius. I suppose their thick hides protected them from the repulsiveness of their own concoctions. I, on the other hand, always sat with Blaise. We were mostly matched, intellectually, and so created brilliant works of art.

Imagine my surprise when I find Goyle next to Pansy, Crabbe next to Blaise, and only one other seat left open.

A seat right next to Hermione Granger.

I shoot Blaise a look, and he smirks at me. "_My mother?_" He mouths.

So this is his revenge? Making me sit next to Granger? Well, I'd take it in stride. I took my seat next to Granger, and she looked over at me.

I was slightly shocked by the look in her eyes. I thought that I felt more repulsion for sitting next to her than she felt for sitting next to me.

I was mistaken.

"Malfoy? Why aren't you in your usual seat?"

And I thought she was smart.

"In case you failed to notice, Granger, my normal seat is currently occupied by somebody else's much less attractive bum." She looks a bit derisive, but then looks over to see Crabbe sitting where I usually sit.

"Point taken."

Did she just agree with the fact that I am attractive? I am just getting over the shock when Snape walks into the room. He takes one look at me and then one look at my partner for the day, and gives me a slight but present grimace. Perhaps he feels the same way about her as McGonagall feels about me.

At any rate, he continues on with his lesson.

"Today, we will be concocting a Polyjuice Potion. I don't expect many of you to remember how to make it, but it takes a while. The people that you are partners with now will be your partners for the next month." A month? With _Granger??_ That's worse than 5 minutes of actually listening to Pansy babble. Snape knows I am not pleased. He gives me a look, and I give him a glare. He grimaces again. "When you are done, you will each be turning into your partner. You should all succeed, as we have made this before. If you cannot make this potion, you will be dropped from my class. End of story."

As we collect ingredients, Granger makes a pathetic attempt at small talk. I interrupt her.

"No offense, Granger, but cut the crap. We both know that we're partners cause no one else wanted us." She looks slightly offended, but she knows its true. Potter and Weasley left her, and Blaise left me, and we wound up stuck with each other. "So if we could please just make this damn potion in silence it would be much appreciated."

Merlin, did she look pissed.

"Noted, Malfoy. You would rather work in awkward silence then become even remotely friendly with a Mudblood. Whatever. But may I just ask you one more thing?"

"You just did. But go for it, anyway."

"What crawled up your ass and died this morning?"

I'd never heard Goody-Two Shoes Granger use such vulgarities before.

"Frankly, Granger, I think it might have been your Muggle parents." I strike a nerve, and she's silent. Good. This is just what I asked for.

It takes me a while to notice the angry tears falling from her eyes.

"Jesus, Granger, if you're going to cry every time we speak -"

"Who's speaking?"

_Now_ she decides to ignore me?

"What crawled up _your_ ass and died this morning?" I mimic.

"Frankly, Malfoy, I think it might have been your false words."

"And when did I ever speak to you that you might say I used false words?"

"You didn't. You spoke to Dumbledore. And I was listening, and I actually _believed _that you might change!!!!!" She was screaming at the top of her lungs, and everyone was looking. I could see Blaise smirking the smirk that so closely resembled my own. Did he practice that, or what?

"And what made you stupid enough to believe me?" I instantly regret the words, but I can't let that show. I have to appear cocky, confident. People have to believe I'm an asshole. It's the only way that I'll survive the next year.

Suddenly, Granger is speaking quietly.

"I guess it was the fact that I wanted to." She throws the ingredients in her hand on the floor, and runs from the room. Potter and Weasley run quickly after, glaring at and shoving me as they pass. Snape quickly runs to follow, most likely to issue detentions.

And there I am, standing in the middle of a room, having fought with Granger and won. Any other time, this would have pleased me.

Instead, I found the taste of victory to be as bitter as a longing for what you can't have. Did you know that when you fight a fight you should be proud to win, and _do_ win, you don't really end up feeling proud? All you really feel is shame. Shame and cowardice.


	5. Cups

1_AN: I appreciate those who keep on reviewing! I probably wouldn't still be writing if I didn't get this encouragement...yeah, right. Like I could ever stop writing once I started._

**Chapter 5: Cups**

I woke up the morning after my bittersweet victory feeling something odd, and I couldn't quite place what it was. It felt like something was off balance, leaving me standing on the edge of a cliff, not knowing what was keeping me up, and yet at the same time pushing me off. I felt like I was on that Muggle children's contraption that wiggles back and forth. What was it called? A totter teeter?

Something like that, but who really cares?

Lessons had begun on a Friday (yesterday), meaning that today (Saturday) was completely free. I was allowed to laze around all day, basking in the glorious feeling I always had when I was at Hogwarts.

Merlin, did I love it here.

Just as I was settling back in to fall asleep, a face with a frighteningly big grin settled before my eyes.

"Merlin!!" I sat up immediately, only to crash head on into Blaise. I fell over onto the floor, clutching my forehead, and looked up to see Blaise clutching his, as well.

"Good morning to you, too, sunshine." He grumbled, as he rubbed the spot that was already turning an unattractive shade of pink. I couldn't imagine that my head looked much better. "Since when have you been so suave upon awakening?"

"Since my first thought is a fear for my life." I grumbled right back, standing up. "What do you want, Zabini? In case you had head trauma prior to this incident, I will remind you that today is Saturday. As in, the day we get to sleep and do nothing."

"Well, maybe you aren't such a sunshine after all."

Sometimes, I swear I could just kill him.

"Care to answer my question, Zabini?" This was two days in a row now that my over-enthusiastic friend woke me up in a less than satisfactory manner.

"I just wondered if you wanted to go with me to the Hog's Head." His puppy dog pout rivaled that of a real puppy. He had some nerve to still be sitting on my bed while I was clutching my head on the floor.

"Let me get this straight. You woke me up early on a Friday morning by pouring water in my face, on a Saturday morning by causing me to fall out of bed, and consequently giving me a concussion, and now you want me to go drinking with you?"

There was a slight pause.

"Yep, that about covers it." His enthusiasm was too hard to deny.

"Well, then what are we waiting for?" He smiled the smile of a five year old boy who just saw that he got a red and shiny bicycle for Christmas. I flashed him back my own stunning set of pearly whites, and then I pushed him off of my bed.

Payback's a bitch.

As Blaise grumbled his way out of the room sore from that push, I sauntered over to my trunk to pick out the proper drinking attire. Settling on a pair of jeans and a plain black tee, I went out to the common room to see Blaise laying upside down on the couch. I walked over to the back of the couch, and he looked at me between his feet.

"Hey, Malfoy. You look even funnier than usual from this angle."

"Careful, Zabini, or laying upside down might make the blood rush to your head and turn that zit you've got growing there into a small city." He looked suddenly self-conscious and sat up like a shot.

"I don't have a zit!" he rushed over to a mirror. Slytherin's always have mirrors everywhere...we love ourselves. It should come as no shock that there was a vanity mirror in the Slytherin common room.

I chuckled, pleased that I got Blaise to rush to the mirror so fast. He didn't look so happy, however. I chuckled again.

"Hey, Zabini, did you know that gullible is written on the ceiling?"

"Very funny, Malfoy. Have you checked your forehead lately? I think that our little collision may have left a lasting impression."

"Doesn't matter, Zabini. The ladies will _still_ love me." Suddenly, we heard a person stumbling down the stairs.

"Hey, we heard you were going to the Hog's Head." Crabbe and Goyle were standing in the doorway. Its no shock that they overheard Blaise and I's plans for the day. After all, they do sleep in the same room. And I'm sure we made quite a racket with our collision. We would have woken the dead. "Do you mind if we come?"

Blaise and I looked at each other, and then back over to Crabbe and Goyle.

"Would you care if we cared?"

They just looked at each other stupidly, clearly unable to tell that I was joking.

"Go get dressed." I sighed. They bounded up the stairs and were back down in an instant, but they were both dressed in their school robes.

"Are you two complete idiots or what?" I remarked.

"You guys can't wear that to go drinking." Blaise said. "You can't exactly expect to be able to pose as someone old enough to buy liquor if you're wearing school robes that provide evidence to the contrary."

"Um..." Did they really not get it?

"What Zabini is saying is that you two can't possibly walk into a bar wearing school robes. They state that you're a student and therefore can't drink." As they stumbled up to change, Blaise and I chuckled to ourselves. It was sometimes funny that these two could be so stupid.

15 minutes later, we were all walking down to Hogsmeade. One of the best things about being in the seventh year is that you are allowed to go to Hogsmeade on the weekends as long as the weather permits. Its only a 20 minute walk, and drinking would be worth the wait. The four of us had been getting drunk together since fifth year.

Granted, getting drunk was much cooler when you were 15. Now, its just something to do when we're bored.

We walked all the way through Hogsmeade, and on down to the Hog's Head. Making sure that no teachers were around to see, we walked in. Once we got used to the dim lighting, we were able to locate a booth near the back. This would assure us that no teacher would be able to see us, and so we were pretty much free now to do whatever. A grungy waiter walked over, and grunted at us to give him our orders.

Well, you don't exactly come here for the hospitable service.

I ordered a bottle of fire whiskey for the table, and we each told him there was no need for glasses. We knew enough about the Hog's Head to bring our own. When I looked past the waiter, it was clear that someone else from our school knew a lot about the Hog's Head as well.

Sitting one table over from us was none other than the Gryffindor Princess, Hermione Granger, herself. Seeing her made the "totter teeter" begin all over again.


	6. Confessions

1_AN: Ok, this is the first time that I'm going to do this, and hopefully the last time I'll have to: I am **begging** you guys to review! Please! I can't tell if I'm doing a good job or if there's room for improvement until you guys tell me what you think, so please, let me know!_ _Also, thank you so much to those who reviewed my last chapter! You guys completed my request before I ever made it...you must be pyschics! Enough rambling, though... you didn't come to this page to read what I have to say!_

**Chapter 6: Confessions**

I could feel my jaw dropping. Hermione Granger inside the Hog's Head??? Not only was it extremely against school rules (which she would be loathe to disobey), it was filthy. She didn't exactly seem the type to willingly go into a place so dingy.

I couldn't help myself. My curiosity got the better of me.

"Oi! Granger!"

When she looked up, I could have pissed myself with laughter. Her eyes were completely bloodshot, and to me, this meant only one of two things, and neither was very appealing. Option A, she had been crying over something or option B, she was drunker than Crabbe on St. Patrick's Day.

I think it was option B, because she actually came over to our table, and there is no way that Granger would willingly approach me sober. While she was walking, her path swaggered a few different directions. Clearly the girl drank so much she couldn't walk straight.

"Whaddya want, _Malfoy?_" Even drunker than a skunk, she had a certain way to spit my name out with a special amount of venom. "Didya wanna embarrass me AGAIN?"

How flattering. She was still sore over our spat in double potions. Granted, that was just yesterday, but time flies. The emotion of being pulled off of a cliff and at the same time being held safe returned, full force. Was I the reason that she was drinking?

"Actually, Granger, I was wondering what you were doing here."

"Just trying to get over the _stupidity_ that you seem to think I have!!!"

Arguing with me seemed to sober her right up.

"So what you are basically saying, Granger, is that you are here drinking because I made you feel stupid?" Could it be possible that I affected her that much? "Like you've never felt stupid before. I mean, for Merlin's sake, you hang out with Potter and Weasley. You _must_ know what stupid feels like, to have ever become friends with those two." High fives went all around the table. Score one for Draco.

"Yeah, and just look at the bunch of _geniuses_ that accompany _you_." The sarcasm in her voice was not lost on me. Score one for Granger.

However, even though she had just insulted my friends, I had to chuckle. In calling them stupid, she was unbelievably right with the exception of Blaise.

"Good point, Granger. But I think even Crabbe and Goyle are smarter than your little pals. They don't ask _me_ to do all of _their_ work." Ohh. She turns bright red, and I can see that I have struck a nerve. So I was right in my assumptions. Potter and Weasley _do_ use her. Score one more for Draco.

"Please. If you did their homework, they would ace it. Like any professor would believe that they had _actually_ done it." Touche. Score one more for Granger.

"You know, Granger, when you're drunk, you kind of sound like you did in first year."

"Yeah, well, you still _look_ like you did in first year." I chuckled. Granger was an absolutely _hilarious_ drunk.

I don't think that I could even begin to explain why I did then what I did next.

"Granger. Would you like to sit with us?" The guys looked shocked. The looks on their faces spoke for them - _Why are you inviting _her_ to sit with us?_ Honestly, I don't think I could answer. But it doesn't matter, anyway.

"Like hell I would ever be caught dead with a bunch of_ Slytherins_." Ouch. And I thought she said "Draco" with venom. She turned on her heel and proceeded to storm out. I still don't know why I decided to do what I did.

I chugged my last shot glass, set in on the table, picked up my stuff, and left. Simply put, I finished everything I had been doing so that I could follow her. I left my friends and my day of drinking so that I could follow _her_. And I still don't know why.

But I don't think I would ever change it.

Right after she got out of the door of the Hog's Head, she faltered, and for good reason. It took a fair bit of adjustment to get your eyes used to the change in light, and this change was even more severe when you were as intoxicated as she was. I used this hesitation to my advantage. I caught up to her, and grabbed her arm. For just a second, she seemed to turn my way in a friendly manner. But then her instinct caught up with her, and she instantly pulled away.

"Merlin, Malfoy, Can'tya just leaveme alone?" She slurred her words so much that it was almost hard to understand her.

"Frankly, Granger, I don't think I can." This was the truth, as much as it surprised me, and for more than the reason that I was about to give her. At that point, I couldn't even name the other reason that I couldn't tell her. "See, Granger, if you go out there, eventually a teacher or a student _will_ see you. They will stop you to see if they can figure out what is wrong, and when they actually speak to you, they will see that you are drunker than a skunk. In your altered state, you are likely to mention the fact that you were drinking in the Hog's Head, a fact that is severely against school rules and would get your Head Girl position revoked. Also in this state, you are likely to mention that you saw me in the Hog's Head, too, and my Head Boy position would also be revoked as well. So, clearly, if you go straight through Hogsmeade, you will ultimately get us both screwed over, where if you go with me, I can get you back to the castle safely, with no questions asked."

She looked at me with eyes that, even clouded over with alcohol, seemed intelligent and calculating. I could see questions forming in those hazy, warm brown eyes - _What's in it for him? Should I trust him? Why would he lie? _

It seemed to be difficult for her to decide, but she allowed me to lead her.

But, what's more, she allowed me to take her hand. All I knew at that point was that her hand in mine was one of the most complete feelings I had ever had. When her hand was in mine, everything felt right and in place, as though a long unfinished song had found its last, resolving chords. When her hand was in mine, I was _content._ And _peaceful_. And this was a feeling I had _never_ found _anywhere_ else.

So why was I finding it with her?

However, I didn't have long to muse over this thought. I had to get her out of plain sight, or else we really would be caught.

The Hog's Head is on the very outer edge of Hogsmeade. There are two easy ways back from Hogsmeade: you either walk straight through the town, which was out of question, or you walk around it. The town is right next to a charming yet dense little forest, and long ago I discovered that if you walk through this forest, the only other people who can find you are the people who are with you.

This was the direction that I took Granger. Hand in hand, I basically forced us to jog into the forest. The sooner we were out of sight the better.

"Malfoy." She giggled. Why on earth was she giggling? "Your hand is cold."

"Just like my blood." I joked. Wait. Why was I joking with her again? We weren't exactly friendly.

"Why would you say your blood is cold, Malfoy? Does your icy heart cause your blood to chill?"

Oh, goody. She was back to her charming old insulting self again. I felt my joking mood drop faster than her dropping my hand.

"Actually, Granger, pure blood is a few degrees colder as a precaution."

"And what, pray tell, are you sooooo precautionary against?"

"Allowing ourselves to become as heated as you. We can't allow ourselves to be common." When she dropped my hand, I could feel it through my entire body. The loss of having her hand in mine was so complete that it felt as though an entire part of me were missing. I wondered if she felt the same way. She stopped walking. The forest we were walking through to get back to school surrounded us like one giant entity.

"Malfoy, what did I _ever_ do to you?"

I guess because she was so drunk, I felt that I could tell her the truth without her ever remembering a single word I had said. I guess that I thought she would never remember.

I guessed wrong. But I did tell her. And I'm glad that I did.

"Granger, you did it without ever trying. The minute I laid eyes on you in first year, I began to wonder. I wondered what you were thinking and why, why you were_ ever_ friends with Potter and Weasley. I wondered if things could be different. If you weren't their friend, could you be mine? I wondered why I thought of you so much, and eventually wondering turned to obsession. I would obsess over everything you ever said to me. When you slapped me in third year, I felt the stinging blow for far longer than a few minutes. In fact, I can still feel it now. I obsessed over wondering if I could _ever_ make you see me for me, and not for the monster that I seemed to be. I obsessed over letting you know that I wasn't truly as terrible as I seemed. Eventually, I wondered why I obsessed over letting you know that I was actually a decent person underneath my nasty exterior. Shouldn't I not care what a mudblood thinks? But then I realized the answer. I realized that I had known it all along." My confession was spilling out of me faster than I could manage. It was as though somebody had opened the dam, and now the raging river that it had been containing was free to flow. "Hermione Granger, I love you."

For a moment, she stared at me. When she spoke, her words were no longer slurred. It was as though she had never _been_ drunk. She spoke with all the clarity of an angel.

"Did you really think that you were fooling anyone? Ever since first year, I have noticed that you tortured me much more than others. I wondered why you would hate me so, what I ever did to deserve it. I cried myself to sleep, never knowing why you hated me, but equally never knowing why I cared so much that you did. My wondering turned to obsession, as well, and I started to pay closer attention to you. I would catch you looking at me in class when you thought I wasn't looking, and I would see a look in your eye that clearly wasn't loathing. Why would you look at me that way? That looked sparked something in me, and I obsessed in finding out what it was. I was feeling something so enormous that I, Hermione Granger, the smartest girl in our class, couldn't give it a name." She looked at me, and I swear that I could see the sun in her eyes. "It was love, Draco. I love you, too."

I stared at her, unable to believe what I had just heard. When it finally came through, I felt my face spreading into the biggest smile that had ever graced my face.

"So what do we do now?" I asked, out of breath. I couldn't believe that after all these years of loving her and wondering why, she had been feeling the same way about me. I had never admitted it to myself before that point. But now that I had said it aloud, I knew it was true. The reason that I cared that she was in the pub drinking was because I loved her. The reason that I agreed to get along with her this year as Head Boy and Girl was because I loved her. The reason that I felt so terrible about what I said in Potions was because I loved her. The reason I was hanging on the edge of an emotional cliff and yet at the same time was hanging on was because _I loved her_. I loved her, I loved her, I _loved_ her. And now that I had admitted it, I never wanted to let her go.

"I think," She said, as she looked at me with a smiling look in her eye, "That we just love each other, simple as that. I'll promise to love and if you'll promise to love me and together, we'll be okay."

"I promise." I never knew then how those two words would completely change my life.

"I promise." And then she slipped her hand in mine, and my world was complete once again.


	7. Completion

1_AN: Hey! Thanks to everyone who reviewed. As I went through my story, I notice that I messed up a few times in writing, and I omitted a few words. I'm sorry if this confuses you! Sometimes when I get to writing, I type too fast, and things get left out. Just for clarity, the line Hermione said to Draco in Chapter 6: Confessions was supposed to be "_I promise to love you if you promise to love me and together, we'll be okay." _Again, I don't know if anyone even noticed, but I did, so I just thought that I would clear it up! On to the next chapter._

**Chapter 7: Completion**

I couldn't believe that feeling her hand in mine could cause my heart to pound so hard. I was no amateur when it came to experience with females. Pansy had thrown herself at me enough times, and so of course we had sex a few. But holding Pansy's naked body close to my own didn't cause half the sensation that holding Hermione's hand did. I stared at our interlaced fingers. The contrast of our skins was rather stark - mine was pale and without a visible flaw, hers was browned and speckled with freckles. Yet, strange as seeing the two complexions side by side was, it seemed right. It seemed that her freckles and her coloring were meant to make up for my lack of pigment. Her warm hands heated my cool ones, and I imagine that my cool ones calmed her warm ones. Continuing to stare at our hands, I noticed that everything about us - pale, tan, tall, short, blond, brunette, blue eyed, brown eyed, Slytherin, Gryffindor, pure blood, mud blood - all of it was contrasting. But it all seemed right together. I couldn't believe that I had never noticed before just how much Hermione Granger could complete me.

"Strange, isn't it?" She commented. I looked up only to realize that she had been looking at me while I was looking at our hands.

"Pardon?" I was breathless. I still couldn't believe that she had said that she loved me, too.

"Isn't it strange? To see our hands like that?" She glanced down, and when she looked up, I could see the world in her eyes.

"I suppose it is." My speech came haltingly in comparison to how my confession had burst out of me before. "Our hands seem so different from each other, and yet...together, the difference looks...right. Hermione, I believe that you...complete me. Everything about you is so...right, and perfect, an complete. I can't believe I never noticed before just how right you are...for me." How much should I tell her in one day? I had never put myself on the line before today. I had always been careful, never letting myself get into a situation where another person controlled me. And yet, it seemed today that that was all that I was willing to do. "Hermione...I need you." The words escaped my throat in a whisper. She looked at me.

"Draco..." She whispered my name in a way so intoxicating that I don't think it will ever leave my ears. "I will always need you, too."

I couldn't bear the space between us, and so I closed it. Pulling her close to me, I held her in my arms for the very first time. My chin rested on the top of her wildly and deliciously curly hair. It smelled of apples and vanilla. Her hair was soft beneath my chin, as though I were resting on a cloud. She placed her arms around my waist, resting her head on my chest. I wondered if she could hear my heart beating as furiously as a hummingbird's wings. For the longest time we stayed like that, each simply holding the other, neither one willing to let go. I breathed in her delectable scent, sure that I would never look at an apple the same way again. In my arms, she felt so perfect.

Suddenly, her head moved. I looked down only to see her looking up at me. I think I saw stars in her honey brown eyes. Just then, time seemed to stop. Our heads continued to bow closer and closer until, finally, our lips met.

Her lips were so warm on mine. I could feel myself burning from the inside out, feel the heat in my heart as well as on my mouth. I bent my head even closer forward, trying to feel more of her. I ran my tongue along her bottom lip, begging for an entrance which she granted. Her mouth tasted as sweet as her honey brown eyes looked. I felt a passion surging through me that I had never felt when I kissed Pansy. It was like a fever was coursing through me, and the only cure was kissing Hermione. She pulled away, and I looked at her. We were both wildly out of breath. She was smiling as brightly as when sunhine reflected off of snow. I smiled back, and pulled her to me once more.

The second kiss was even more exhilarating than the first, if that were possible. I would have to get used to the rush that kissing Hermione brought. I ran my fingers through her silky, curly hair, certain that I had never felt anything so soft before. She put her arms around my neck, pulling me even closer to her, and I was more than happy to comply. She moved one of her hands up my neck to the back of my head, where she gently pulled on my hair. I could feel her tongue dance beneath mine. Soon, she began to nibble my bottom lip. It was driving me crazy, to feel her hands pull my hair while she kissed me so passionately. We pulled away again, each grinning madly.

"Draco," She gasped, "It's dark."

And so it was. We had been there so long, holding each other and kissing, that time had passed from midday to at least 7 at night.

"We need to go back." She said.

"Yes, I suppose we do." I replied. I simply took her hand, and began to lead her through the forest. We walked in silence, content in each others company. You might think that it was awkward, to walk side by side with another person, and neither one is saying a word, but let me tell you something:

It was one of the best experiences of my life.

Even when I was hanging out with Blaise, I was never happy with silence. Silence meant that you had time to think. Thinking, for me, usually led to unhappiness. And so I would try to stay in sound as much as possible.

But there were no unhappy thoughts running through my mind. All I could think of was Hermione. The way her lips felt on mine. The way her hair felt on my skin. The way her hand felt on my neck. The way that, despite our contrasts, we were so right for each other.

Hermione Granger. She was my life now. She always would be.

My need to be with Hermione began to consume me. At first, nobody seemed to understand why Hermione Granger would _possibly_ be going out with me. What could a wonderful woman like her ever see in a nearly heartless pureblood such as I? At least, that's what I imagine they were thinking. Some wondered why I had dumped Pansy to be with a Gryffindor.

But when they saw us together, it was like suddenly everybody could easily understand. Side by side, we looked perfect together. All those years of everybody thinking that I was attractive enough to achieve perfection on my own, but now, they all knew. They all knew that, all along, I had not been perfect. They knew that I was a mere shadow compared to what I would become. With Hermione by my side, I was unbeatable. She was my everything, and she spurred me onwards. She completed me in a way that nobody ever could. Because of her, I focused more on school and less on drinking and so I achieved perfect grades. I took more care of my appearance because I wanted to look great for her, and so I achieved perfect looks, as well. I became a better person, a happier person, and so I was a perfect companion and friend. Hermione was the best thing that ever happened to me.

It was no time before the first dance came along. It was to be that Saturday, the last Saturday of September. It would not be difficult for Hermione and I to plan it alongside the Prefects. At the first meeting on Wednesday, it was decided that the others would go into Hogsmeade to buy the supplies while Hermione and I cleaned the Great Hall. As I was walking Hermione back to the Gryffindor common room after the meeting (I _always_ dropped her off. There was no way that I was going to let her out of my sight any longer than I had to.), I heard a voice.

"Oi! Malfoy! Granger! Will you two lovebirds wait up for a minute?" We turned to see Blaise running up to us.

"What is it, Blaise?" Hermione had taken to Blaise quite warmly. Sure, it took her a week or two to get used to his quirky sense of humor, but she soon began to see in him what I did. He became one of her best friends, too.

"Actually, I was just wondering if I could steal Malfoy here for a minute." I rolled my eyes. Surely it wasn't so urgent that it couldn't wait until I saw him in the common room. But I saw the look in Hermione's eyes urging me to go speak to him, so I responded.

"Wait right here for me." I begged Hermione. I left to talk to Blaise. "What's up, Zabini?" I said impatiently.

"Malfoy." Looking at Blaise, I could clearly see that it was more urgent than I thought. What was going on? "You know how pissed off Pansy was about you dumping her for Granger? Well, she finally snapped. She called your mother to tell her who you were dating, only your mother didn't seem to mind. She seemed happy enough for you." I grinned. I could always rely on my mother to be happy for me when I was happy. "So, when that didn't work, she went to Azkaban to visit your father." The grin slid right off of my face. There was no way my dad would take it peacefully that I was dating someone with Muggle parents.

"So...am I to assume, then, that...that he's...that he's...coming?" My heart began to beat in a sickly way. I could feel vomit sitting in my throat at the thought of what my father probably wanted to do to Hermione. I couldn't let him take her away from me. He would murder her.

Blaise merely nodded. That action made my heart leap into my mouth and then fall right back down, and settle in the bottom of my stomach.

My father. Lucius. He was coming here to kill the woman I loved. He would take her and brutally murder her. I had to protect her. The only person who could stop it was me. I grabbed hold of Blaise's shoulders.

"Are you...are you sure?" I could feel tears in my eyes. Why was this happening?

Blinking, Blaise nodded. I could have sworn that I could see tears in his eyes, too.

"Positive." His voice was a whisper. I nodded, blinking at Blaise. Suddenly, I felt him grab me into a swift embrace. "Malfoy...you can't let him harm her."

"I know that..."

"Malfoy, please...you haven't seen how she's changed you. Before her, you were never truly happy. Now, when you smile, it reaches your eyes. If your father takes her away from you...Malfoy, it would kill you, too. I can't bear to see both of my best friends die. Run. Run as far and as fast as you can."

I nodded, blinking back my tears, and grabbed him into another embrace.

"Write me so that I know you are safe."

"I will. Write me to let me know of my father's progress."

"I will. Oh, and Draco?"

"Yes, Blaise?" You could tell the situation was dire when we actually called each other by our first names.

"Good luck." He whispered. I silently thanked him, and then walked over to Hermione.

"Draco...darling, what's going on?" She could clearly see the troubled look in my eye, letting her know all to well that I was upset. She knew me better than anyone.

"We're leaving."


	8. Conflagration

**AN:_ This note is important to the story! Please read!_****_This chapter will introduce a point of view switch. This chapter will be told by Lucius. Keep in mind that it is no longer Draco speaking!!_**

**Chapter 8: Conflagration**

You have no idea what a hell hole Azkaban is. You would think that, because it is a wizard's prison, it would be far superior to that of the Muggles, but you would be wrong.

Just as in Muggle prisons, Azkaban seems to be devoid of life. There is no hope of ever escaping to be in the outside world again. The food tastes like arse, the other prisoners are quite as unpleasant as I imagine I have become, the walls are the color of a greyhound, and, almost worst of all, the only sound at night is complete silence.

You want to know what the sound of silence is? Silence brings thought, and thought brings heartache. At night, I can feel my heart breaking, and it is as though a thousand heavy stones are laying across my chest. I think of Draco, and of Narcissa, and I feel hot, angry tears come. How foolish I was, how stupid, how naive. I have left them to fend for themselves. How can they thrive without me? In short, the sound of silence is regret, as hot and bittersweet as boiling baker's chocolate. Now, however, it is not night. I can not feel my regret resound throughout my entire body. Now, it is daylight, and I am trying to live through another day.

Suddenly, I see a shadow float by my door. I feel the cold press in on me, and old memories float to my surface. I see kicking feet in midair as a Muggle woman is suspended by an invisible rope and has no idea what is going on. I see myself, beneath her, laughing and twirling her upside down so that her knickers showed. I remember this as the night of the Quidditch Cup. Something inside of me smiles, for I feel no regret for how I treated the Muggle woman. Stupid wench deserved it. Suddenly, however, the memory spins a different direction, and I see Draco, my beautiful son, leaning against a tree. He is looking straight at me and, while a smirk is carefully trained across his face, I see the disappointment in his eyes. This is the bad part of the memory. That disappoint stuck with me, for it was the first time I saw him look at me like that. My son, my beautiful son, was looking at me as though I were some sort of monster. A monster? How _dare_ he think that? I am no monster for treating the stupid Muggles as they should be treated...like dogs. Like the stupid mongrels they are. Shouldn't my beautiful, purebred son realize that he is better than they? This memory is painful for me, for it reminds me that, however much I tried to make him that way, my son is not like me. He will never see Muggles the way I see them. For some unGodly reason, he sees them as his equal. This memory reminds me that, although I tried to mold my son into my booming footsteps, I failed miserably. I have forever lost the chance to immortalize myself through my only son. This memory terrifies and saddens me...the coldness is seeping through me as the feeling of failure returns full force, turning my feet numb. Suddenly, the coldness lets up, and I look into the terrible eyes of the Dementor who caused it. It bids me rise to my feet. I comply.

At a careful distance I follow the Dementor, and suddenly I find myself wondering where this thing could possibly be taking me. Have I unintentionally misbehaved in some way? Am I now to be punished for said unintentional misbehavior?

It turns out that that is not so. The Dementor leads me quietly to the visiting area, where I see a shy young girl waiting behind a glass wall.

This is where a wizards magic comes in. The glass wall is bewitched so that all who touch it fall immediately to the ground in horrible pain. You may speak normally and have it be heard, but you daren't touch the wall. It was almost as bad as being put under the Cruciatus Curse.

Almost.

Suddenly, I recognized the shy young girl. It was Pansy, my beautiful Draco's beloved.

"Pansy!" I am shocked at how my voice comes out, and I realize that I haven't truly spoken in days. My voice is no longer as fluid and musical as it had once been. It is now reduced to a mere croak as I fight for my vocal strength to return.

"H-hello, M-Mr. Malfoy." She stuttered. How quaint. Pansy had always seemed a bit terrfied of me, though I never could quite realize why.

"Pansy, darling," I croak, "You needn't stutter. Its only me."

"Y-Yes sir." She looked to the ground. I wondered if maybe the reason that she wasn't looking at me was because of my appearance. I was sure that I looked dreadful. For some reason, thinking that she wasn't looking at me because I was unpleasant to look at bothered me. I felt myself become properly irritated for the first time in weeks.

"What did you need, Pansy?" There was no need to prolong this conversation any longer than necessary. It was embarrassing us both.

"W-well, Mr. M-Malfoy, I...I have something to tell you."

"Well, spit it out, then." My irritation was rising to the surface.

"It's about Draco." I felt my world fall to pieces. Was he alright? Was he alive, hurt, what? What was going on that was so important that this girl came all the way to Azkaban?

"What is it?" I wondered if she could feel the urgency in my tone of voice.

"He's...he's dating..a.." Well, wasn't he dating her?

"Isn't he dating you?" I never was very good at holding my tongue. I was surprised when a tear rose to her eye.

"Not anymore." She wiped it away bitterly, and I could tell that the new object of Draco's affection must be truly loathsome.

"Well, who is it." For the first time during our whole conversation, she looked me in the eye.

'Its a Mudblood, sir. Hermione Granger, to be exact."

At that moment, the room turned a brighter shade of red than any blood I had ever spilled. A Mudblood? Dating my son? And he approves of it? HOW _DARE_ HE?! I would hunt them down. I would take her by the hair, scalp her, lynch her from a tree, and throw her body in the nearest ditch. I would kill her in the most savage way possible, to cause her the most pain. She thinks she's good enough for my family? She's NOTHING! How dare that little wench think that she can date my only child? Does she honestly think that she'll ever join my family? I'll put an end to those thoughts forever.

And Draco???? Dating a Mudblood _whore?_ Does he really think that will fly with society? And not just any whore, but Potter's whore. After I killed his new little girlfriend, I would Crucio him into obliteration. How DARE he ruin my good name by dating some filth!

I don't know how, but I found myself back in my cell. I began to devise a plan. To escape Azkaban, and it wouldn't be easy, but I would do it. My plan was simple. I would use one of the new guys as bait. I new that the Dementors couldn't resist an easy meal. I would befriend a new guy, and goad him into spilling his emotions. Once he was in that emotional state, the Dementors would scoop down on him like the flock of vultures they are. When they were distracted, I would simply Apparate away, and if that didn't work, I'd swim back. I'd do _anything_ to punish Draco and his little whore.

It wasn't hard to befriend a new guy. They generally wanted somebody to protect them from everybody else, and I would pretend to be that protection. I chose an easy enough target...a relatively young, blond man who kind of reminded me of my Draco. Perhaps this would lessen my need to punish Draco, though this would never lessen my need to punish Draco's little whore. My victim was a good choice - he was chock full of misery, which is a Dementor's favorite treat. As predicted, they all swooped in on the young man without a second thought to any of the other prisoners. I'm sure that the young man got the Dementor's Kiss, and I don't care.

Apparation didn't work, so I went with plan B. Blasted my way through the fence with wandless magic and swam back to shore. It was one of the longest swims of my life.

It took me a while, but I finally was able to summon my broom without the use of a wand. I climbed onto my broom and started flying without a second look back.

I wouldn't let them get away with this. I would punish them if it was the last thing I ever did.


	9. Crazy

1_AN: I haven't been getting as many reviews as I'd hoped...yikes! Please review! This chapter, the story will be told in **Hermione's** point of view. That in mind, enjoy! I hope that I'm not confusing you all with the point of view switches, but I think that the story can't possibly be told from only one person. Everyone in this story has different emotions, different views, and I want them ALL known._

**Chapter 9:** **Crazy**

For me, life was moving so fast.

It seemed just yesterday that I was a happy-go-lucky little Gryffindor princess, with nothing better to do with her time than to do both her and both of her best friend's homework assignments. I was content in my role then. Life was simple: I was Harry Potter's best friend, Ron Weasley's love interest, Gryffindor's resident bookworm and encyclopedia, and an all around well-loved girl when it came time to test. I could count on making bunches of new friends in time for an exam.

But now, everything had changed.

That day, when Draco and I admitted our feelings for each other, I hadn't been drunk. I had, in fact, been pretending to be drunk so that he would think that I had a better reason for being at the Hog's Head than I had had. The truth was that Harry and Ron were pissing me off. Sometimes, being called upon to always answer the question's of others gets on my nerves. Sometimes, I wanted them to stop treating me like a textbook and to start treating me like a friend.

That day, it had seemed that all they wanted was for me to do their homework. When I told them I didn't feel like it, they both snapped on me, as though it should fill me to the brim with _joy_ to do their assignments for them.

Um, hello? I'm human. On the first weekend of the school year, even Hermione Granger doesn't feel like doing homework. Sometimes, I just like to relax.

So, I told them both that I just wanted to hang out for the day. I mean, they had done this thousands of times. I figured that, just maybe, they would let me be their equal for once, and stop treating me like some question and answer service.

But I was wrong. When I told them I just wanted to chill out for now, they both got so mad at me! Ron turned red in the face and stormed off to the boys' dormitories, and Harry just glared at me and stomped off after Ron.

I was so mad at those prima donnas. So they were allowed to just hang out and have fun and I wasn't? Those arrogant assholes! How _dare_ they treat me as they had?

I stormed off to Hogsmeade alone, and went to the only place that I was _sure_ they would never look in to find me. The Hog's Head.

I had no intentions of getting drunk or even having anything to drink, but I did remember to bring my own glass, just in case. Maybe I would change my mind. During the long walk to Hogsmeade, angry thoughts filled my head. I was just so mad at Harry and Ron! How dare they treat me as they had, as though I was worth less than the dirt on the sole's of their shoes? And I bet you anything, if I had gotten mad and yelled back at them, it would have made everything worse. Then they would have blamed the whole fight on me.

The long walk didn't cool me off any. I managed to walk through Hogsmeade and into the Hog's Head without seeing anybody I knew. I walked into the Hogs Head and, allowing my eyes to adjust, sat down at the first available table I could find. A grungy looking waiter walked up and asked what I would like to order, and all I got was a simple butterbeer.

I should have gotten firewhiskey.

Anyway, the waiter brought this dusty, rusty bottle to my table, and I poured it into my glass and began to chug like there was no tomorrow. The warm flow of the liquid through my body felt good, settling even. I was starting to feel better about the morning's events. Maybe, if I just talked to them, it would all get better. I set my glass down and glanced around me.

Imagine my dismay when I saw four Slytherin boys sitting at a booth by the window, chugging firewhiskey and having a general good time.

Draco Malfoy was with them. At that point, I was somewhat confused about how I felt about him. I mean, sure, he was rather good looking and intelligent and all, but was that enough to balance out all the things he had said and done to me over the past four years? Almost every night for the first month of first year, I would cry myself to sleep because all I could hear throughout the dark were his chants, ringing, echoing, haunting me in my sleep. All I could see was the way he sneered when he looked at me.

It was hard, even six years later, to forget that agony. I still remember how, some mornings, I would wake up with my eyes glued shut due to the previous night's tears, and my stomach aching from the amount of sobbing I had done even when no longer conscious.

I think the thing that upset me the most, though, was his eyes. When he was saying those horrible things, sneering those horrible sneers, doing those horrible deeds...one look at his startlingly blue eyes was enough to assure me that he didn't want to do these things. Why, then was he _doing_ them? Merlin knows_ I_ didn't want these things done to me. Was I worth that little? Was I such scum that he would be willing to go out of his way to torment me even when it was clear that he didn't actually want to?

Towards the middle of first year, I began to realize a possible reason that he would be doing this. Maybe I wasn't scum after all. Maybe I was worth something to him, maybe even worth more to him than Pansy was.

Or maybe I just wanted this to be true because he was such a babe.

I entertained these thoughts all throughout second year. In third year, they grew and grew. I still regret the day that I slapped him. I was angry he had said such horrible things about Hagrid, but the true reason I did it was much more selfish: I wanted him to love me and to be with me, and he couldn't.

And so we became enemies. I was Harry's friend, he was Harry's enemy, and soon I began to see that entertaining any thoughts or fantasies of Draco Malfoy loving me was unrealistic.

In all reality, things were like this: I was a muggle-born, he was of pure blood. I was Gryffindor, he was a Slytherin. I said up, he said down. We were as opposite as opposite can be.

At first, I used to cry myself to sleep because I thought Draco Malfoy hated me. But, as I grew older, I began to cry myself to sleep over Draco for a whole new reason. I thought maybe he loved me, and I knew without a doubt that I loved him despite our differences and despite all logic, and I cried myself to sleep because we could never be together. There was this hollow feeling in my being as though there were some limb that was supposed to be there and yet never managed to grow. It took me a while to realize that the limb that I was missing was the arm that held the embrace of love. Even if I wasn't imagining his feelings for me, even if I wasn't crazy, I could still never be with him. I would never feel love's warm embrace.

For these reasons I chose to confront Draco Malfoy at the Hog's Head. I had the perfect excuse, too: I was_ drunk_, of course. I didn't know what I was doing. Or, at least, that's what I wanted him to think. I didn't want him to know that I would go out of my way to talk to him or to even be in his presence. I didn't want him to know that I loved him that much, that all I wanted at that moment was to be near him, that all I needed was to fall into his arms in a way only Pansy ever had.

I had _planned_ to sit in his lap, maybe mess with his beautifully silky, golden locks, and generally just be as close to him as "being drunk" would allow. But that plan didn't pan out, because I realized what I was doing. I let him have it verbally, and then I high-tailed it out of there. I nearly ran from the bar in my haste to escape, and then I stumbled into the blinding light.

As I allowed my eyes to adjust, I felt a hand that had to be made of lightning touch my arm. The electricity that ran through my body was quite shocking, no pun intended. I looked up into what I was sure was an angel's face. But when my eyes adjusted to the light around it, I realized it was Draco and, angelic as he may appear, he was no angel. I pulled away. He fed me some crap about how I should let him lead me home through a dark forest because, that way, no adult would see that I was drunk and, therefore, I would keep my Head Girl title. I wasn't fooled. I knew that he only wanted to do it so no one would know that _he _was in the Hog's Head, as well.

Still, I desired to be near him as long as possible. Blinded by that burning desire, I followed him into the unknown, trusting myself fully onto him without ever knowing if he would harm me. I let him lead me even though I hate to follow simply because of one thing.

I loved Draco Malfoy. I loved him so much more than could ever be considered healthy, and I allowed my heart's passion to blind me to any faults.

You can imagine the shock and joy that I felt when he told me he loved me, too. I was astounded! Here was the man I had loved since first year, that I had tormented myself over, and he was handing his heart to me on a silver platter! I gladly handed him mine right back, promising to love him as long as I was able.

When we kissed, I could feel a white hot heat spreading throughout my entire body, leaving no crevice untouched in its course. I could see fireworks behind my eyelids, dazzling me with their brilliance. Our tongues danced, intertwined within our mouths, as though they were one entity. Our lips and bodies seemed to mold together and complete each other. When we pulled apart, I was sure I would explode. But he was mine now, for sure. I was sure that he had to feel all of those things, too.

Draco Malfoy loved me. That was all that mattered and all that ever would matter.

This news didn't go over so well with Harry and Ron, who were already mad at me for the morning's events. I told them about my meeting with Draco and the things that were said as soon as I saw them. I figured that, surely, my best friends had to be happy for me because I had found a love and a passion so deep and so real that in consumed me. But they weren't. They berated me for loving Draco, and for allowing him to love me. They yelled for what seemed like hours, and I ran to my dormitory crying.

But then I came to a realization. Harry and Ron treated me like crap. They used me, and they never really _were_ my friends. They were each others' friends, and I was just a talking textbook. If they couldn't be happy for me because I was in love, then they weren't ever truly my friends to begin with. That day, I stopped being their friend. I stopped all contact with them, and I was _astounded_ when they lost all contact with me. Surely they wouldn't give me up over this. I _had_ to be worth more than _that_ to them.

But, clearly, I wasn't. They threw me away like yesterday's trash.

Well, pardon my French, but fuck them anyway. I don't need their false friendship.

I might have lost Harry and Ron, but I gained Draco, and he was worth SO MUCH more.

Even though I no longer had friends within Gryffindor, the next month passed in bliss. I spent as much of my time with Draco as I could. Being Head Boy and Girl, we were allowed to stay out as late as we wanted to patrol, so we even escaped some nights to simply lay down and sleep together, but never had sex. Our relationship was more than that. It was spiritual. It was deep. It was all consuming. I had to be with Draco in order to live.

Apparently, however, that was what was threatening my life. His father found out due to that whore, Pansy, and now we had to run together like the wind. But I found that I was strangely okay with running for my life, so long as Draco was running right by my side.

No matter what the turnout, I knew I would be content with what I had. Draco loved me and I loved him. We would find a way to be together, no matter what. Whether we were at Hogwarts or not, it didn't matter. Anywhere with Draco would be fine by me.

Love will do crazy things like that.


	10. Draco

_AN: I am SO sorry that I haven't updated in a while! This past weekend I was at a vocal festival for two days, and when I came back yesterday I had to write a paper. However, It soon began to snow furiously, and school was cancelled today! We're up to about 11 inches or so of snow/snowdrift, and its supposed to continue snowing until midnight tonight. Thankfully enough, school was cancelled for tomorrow, as well. This means that, as a bitter singleton, my Valentine's Day won't have to be ruined by having to watch a bunch of teenaged couples going at it all day._ _YES! So, with the new free time I have, I opted to write for you guys since it has been so long. However, since I am spending my free time on you, it would be nice if you spent some on me and left me reviews! Oh, and in advance..._

_**HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!**_

_On with my story! **We will temporarily be back to Draco's point of view**, but I happen to like the way the others think. So, as a heads up,** I will be switching around from this point out, and will now name the chapter after the character who will be telling it.**_

**_THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A _VERY_ MATURE SCENE, IF YOU CATCH MY DRIFT. DO NOT READ_**_ **IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ A SEX SCENE.**_

**Chapter 10 : Draco**

It was around midnight when I woke up. I was still in a state of shock from what had happened in the last few days. I couldn't get over the feeling of guilt that coursed through my blood, knowing that, because I loved her, I had put Hermione in danger. I didn't think that I could live with myself if I were to be the cause of her death. My every bone was telling me that if she died, I would have to die, too. It was a fact now. Hermione and I were one being...I couldn't live without her. Her safety was my first thought upon waking.

I had also developed a new custom in the past few days. Every time I woke up, I automatically reached for Hermione. Upon grabbing hold of her, I pulled her close to me. I would hold her, resting my chin in her tangled, lovely nest of hair, the smell of apples wafting gently up towards me. As I breathed in her delectable scent, I would lower myself slightly and kiss her forehead. I never pressed my lips so hard to her that she would wake up, but I would allow them to linger until I saw fit to remove them. When I did remove them, I would simply return my head to its former residence, and drift gently back into sleep with her in my arms.

However, when I reached out this time, she wasn't there.

Immediately, panic began to set in. Had my father gotten in while I slept? Had he taken her when I let my guard down?? Where would I find her? What would I have to do to save her? I would do anything!! But would it be too late? Would she already be...gone?

I jumped up, searching the cave in which we were staying. We hopped from place to place, and I had decided upon a cave for tonight. It was better that way. Sure, I could afford to stay in the ritzy places. But I had to pay for them, and my father could easily follow my money trail. After all, it was still technically his money.

Panic was leading my thoughts. Where could she be?

I ran outside, only to see her sitting right outside the cave's mouth. It was a lovely setting in which the cave sat. It was in a mountain right on the edge of a forest, and relatively high up. I would guess that the trees were about 50 feet high, and from where we were, we could look down on them. The stars were particularly bright tonight. From our point of view, the trees were merely a skyline. The moon shone bright upon them, causing the forest to be alight with a natural glow.

The sight was almost as breathtaking as Hermione herself.

Upon seeing her, I breathed a sigh of relief. When she heard me, she looked up. She was wrapped in a blanket, and her hair was like a waterfall.

She was a goddess on earth.

I could see panic flit through her eyes as she temporarily believed that I was my father, the predator. However, when she saw it was me, her eyes warmed and she smiled.

"Hey there, handsome." She quietly whispered.

"Hey yourself. What's a goddess like you doing in a place like this?" I smiled. She smiled right back. With her here, heaven was a place on earth.

"Oh, you know, the usual. Running for my life with the man I love by my side." I sat down next to her.

"And what do you love about him?"

"Only everything." She smiled at me again. I gently placed my arm around her shoulders, and she set her head on mine. I rested my head on hers, and together, we looked out at the night.

"But what do you love about him that you would run with him?" Sometimes, she worried me. Why was she risking her life to be with me? I wasn't worth that much.

"He loves me. He has my best interests at heart. I love him, and I don't care what I have to risk to be with him." To this day, I don't know how she did it. She put all of my own emotions into the simplest of terms.

"You would risk your life for him?"

"I already have. I would do it again. I would do it a thousand times." She looked up at me. "Draco, I would circle the world to be with you. And when you question my motives, it hurts." Her eyes were shining.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. But...I have a hard time believing that I'm worth all of this trouble. You could be with somebody better for you, somebody who wouldn't endanger you." It hurt me to imagine her with someone else, but I had to give her an option. "Hermione, you deserve so much better than -"

"-better than you? I have a hard time believing that person exists." She cut me off. "Please, Draco. Why can't you see that its you that I want??? Sure, there might be someone out there that's more...healthy for me than you." I winced. It was hard enough for me to say those words aloud, but it was even worse when _she _said them. "But I don't want them. Draco, I rely on you, and I need you to live, and it might be unhealthy for me to need and want and count on another person as much as I do, but...damn it, I WANT TO! I don't care if what I feel is unhealthy, because I love you, Draco Malfoy, and no amount of knowing anything is wrong with me will change that." Her breathing was uneasy. What she said seemed to come out in a rush, as if she had been holding this speech in for a while.

She grabbed my hand, and place it on her heart. It was beating so fast that I felt like it might just jump out of her chest.

"Do you feel that, Draco? **That's** what you do to me."

I took her hand and placed it on my own heart, which was pounding equally as fast.

"Hermione...to me, you do **so much** more."

I suddenly couldn't hold myself back anymore. I pulled her to me and kissed her so deeply and so hard that it felt as though we would never be separated. She leaned backward and I rolled on top of her, lips still attached. I felt my pulse race more and more as her intoxicating scent pulled me in even more. I felt her curves beneath me, and it was driving me wild. Before I knew it, blood was rushing to a place that I couldn't control. I felt myself grow hard against her.

I pulled away a little bit, slightly embarrassed.

"Sorry.." I mumbled, blushing a bit.

"Draco...I want to try."

Her words shocked me. We had never discussed sex, but I knew it would be a big deal for her. I knew she was a virgin.

"Are you...sure?" God knew I wanted to, but I didn't want to make her do something even more. I was so happy when she nodded. She pulled me towards her, kissing me deeply. She tugged on the bottom of my shirt, and before I knew it, she was pulling it over my head. I pulled hers off, as well, and then I undid her bra and threw it aside. She kissed me passionately.

We were lying there, out of breath, naked chest to naked chest. I pulled out of the kiss and look deeply into her eyes, trying to find any trace on uncertainty.

I couldn't find one.

Her hands reached for my pajama bottoms, pulling them down. She flipped me over on my back and pulled my boxers down as well. I saw her gasp at the sight of me, erect and at full throttle. I smirked a little bit. After all, the size of my member was rather impressive. I kicked off my boxers, lying there fully naked with her on top of me.

She looked at me as she took of her own bottoms and underwear. She threw them aside with reckless abandon, staring at me unabashedly. Lust ran rampant through eyes, as I'm sure they did through my own. Her body was absolutely perfect.

The next part I had not expected. She lowered her mouth onto me, taking me in her mouth. The feeling of her hot breath surrounding me drove me to a place I had never been before. I felt her tongue swirl around me, and then she took me out of her mouth.

Quickly, I flipped her over. I was being driven so crazy, and I knew I would come soon if she was in control. I traced my finger up her thigh, lightly drawing circles. When I slipped it inside, I was in heaven. She was so tight and already so wet. She looked like she was wincing a bit, but that was to be expected.

"Are you okay?" I asked. I didn't want to do this if she didn't want to. However, she nodded. "This might hurt a little bit." I warned her. I slipped in another finger and felt her walls close around both of them. Cautiously, never allowing my eyes to leave hers, I slipped in a third. I pumped them slowly in and out of her, being driven wild by the contraction of her walls. I pulled them out, not wanting her to come yet. I lowered myself to her wild curls, and ran my tongue across her folds. Then I blew on them. I could feel her shudder.

I poised myself over her, feeling her pulsing heat against my erect member. I looked into her eyes, and saw only urgence. Slowly, I entered myself into her. Her hands came up to my shoulders, holding on tightly. She dug her nails in a bit as the pain of having me in her kicked in. She gasped, and I looked at her carefully.

"Are you sure you okay??"

She nodded, biting her lip.

"Draco, please...continue."

Nodding, I pulled all the way out, and then reentered. As her pain began to wear off, she gripped me less tightly. I was slowly pumping in and out of her, not wanting to hurt her, but having to go slow was driving me crazy.

"Faster, please!" She begged. That was all the encouragement that I needed. I picked up the speed, going into her as deep as I could go. We were rocking back and forth to a rythym only we could follow, our passion flowing off of us in waves. When she arched her back, I knew that I had found her g-spot. I made it a point to hit it again, and again, and again, always picking up speed. She gripped my shoulder and drove her nails into me. I braced my hands over her shoulders, grunting as I thrust myself into her further. Her nails were digging into my back, and it drove me further inside. She was moaning and grunting like mad, and soon I gathered her lips to mine in a kiss. I drove my tongue into her mouth as my member hit her g-spot over and over again, and I could feel her walls tightening as she began to climax. This drove me crazy, and I pumped faster than I had believed possible. I lowered my mouth to her nipple, and I heard her gasp as she was being dually pleasured. I felt myself come, and felt her silky walls milk me for all I was worth. As I spilled my seed into her, I looked into her eyes. Her hair was wild and she was sweating.

"I love you." I gasped, almost completely out of breath after my exertion. I thrust myself into her one final time, hitting her spot again. She arched her back up against me, and reached her orgasm.

"God, Draco...I love you, too"


End file.
